Friday Favorites

It's been one of those long weeks. You know the ones that seem to drag on, and on, and on. But, as always, I still found some time to do some all mighty Internet surfin'.

Here's what I've been favoriting this week:

One— The article from Total Sorority Move: Why Our Entire Generation Needs An Ass Kicking, Pronto. I'm not usually a TSM reader, I (luckily?) grew out of that phase of my life, but this really was well said.

For example, "Why does our generation need a wake up call? Because most young people in America are selfish, lazy, and think Jimmy Johns should deliver sandwiches directly into their mouths. (Actually wait, that's a great idea). Most young Americans think they can ride the coattails of previous, hardworking generation." I mean can I get an amen here? Spend five minutes and read the post, I swear you'll be nodding right along.

Two— Umm, this. No caption needed. (Available for sale here.)

via iheartmatter.com

Three— Along the same lines as above, this is a no caption needed as well.

via

Four—I'm still obsessed with our wedding photos. Which, our photographer just got to me a few days ago, so it's totally okay to obsess right?

Mountain Weekend (Blue Ridge, Ga.)

This past weekend Mark turned ninety, so to celebrate we went for an early bird special dinner. Just kidding! Though, Saturday was actually his birthday and me being the traveler and reveler I am, decided we needed to have a little getaway for his birthday! 

After doing a little digging around, I settled on Blue Ridge, Ga. for a little two day, one night adventure. Before I get too into the details I should explain a few things. One: Mark is a very avid fly fisherman. Like avid as in we have former record holding stuffed fish in our hallway. Two: I love to tool around in a bathing suit reading a book. Meaning, we have quickly realized that “going fishing” is a fun activity for us both.

I also enjoy all the little friends I make while fishing, like these gorgeous iridescent blue butterflies.

The drive was easy, about fourish hours each way. On the way up Friday night we stopped off in Atlanta and hung out with my parents for dinner and spent the night in the same bed under my parents’ roof, which was really weird for me. Saturday we continued on, enjoying the drive.

Apparently, and I say apparently because I have absolutely no clue about fly fishing, fish or rivers, the Toccoa River in Blue Ridge is one of the best places to trout fish in the South. Mark had a blast. We fished in a few different areas over the two days and he was able to catch quite a few. He even got some new flies at the fly fishing store. And of course there were a few fishing related wrapped gifts from home. I'm such a sucker for a theme. 

We stayed at an in-town B&B, which was perfect for us. We were able to walk to dinner Saturday night at a fabulous outdoor restaurant, enjoy some good food and good music. It was a really relaxed and fun birthday.

 Sunday we woke up to the best muffins ever and fished some more before a quick walk around town and lunch. Sadly, after we ate we were on our way home. It wasn’t nearly a long enough weekend. Blue Ridge definitely had a lot to offer, if you like being outside. The water was a little too cold for my tastes, but lots of folks enjoyed tubing down.

 

The shops in town had some very cute pieces, and we came VERYCLOSE to buying a new side table for our bedroom, but in the end decided against it. Side note: one of my biggest pet peeves is all these new “restorers” and “furniture savers.” I too can go to a yard sale, buy a table, some chalk paint and sandpaper. Doesn’t make your table worth $70 or vintage. 

For the price, distance and enjoyment we had, I see lots of quick trips to Blue Ridge in our future. Plus, you really can’t beat this view.

Currently (Vol. I)

One of my favorite things about getting back into blogging is discovering new blogs to follow, which is how I came upon the Currently. linkup, and I love the idea.

 

I want to be better about documenting daily life around here, as every day is never the same. Well, except my standing 5:30pm date with Pure Barre Montgomery, and that Grace continues to wake up at 6:30am every day, barking with a passion to go outside, to then bark at a tree in the backyard.

Currently.
Thinking about: How badly I want to finish redecorating our house. I started with the bathroom and bedroom when I first moved in, but over the last two weeks I’ve been working on the front yard and patio. I never seem to have enough hours in the day (or money in the bank) to get everything exactly how I want it. I do know that I want to get our house basically decorated by August 1^st. Currently, our house looks like a mash of someone having just moved in, the lobby of a fifty-year-old Republican’s law office and a twenty something threw her shoes all around. Super cute y’all! (eyeroll)

Reading: Yesterday I finished Summer Blowout by Claire Cook and L-O-V-E-D it—not sure what to start next. I’m on the waiting list at the library for some suggestions I got from friends, but it looks like it will be another random off the shelf selection for this week. I’ve also got a stack of magazines I need to make my way through.

Listening to: Georgia country! I finally got my alternative rock-loving curmudgeon to listen to some Georgia country and he liked it! It helped that over the weekend, while celebrating his birthday in the beautiful mountain town of Blue Ridge, Ga., the restaurant we chose for dinner Saturday night had a really great Georgia country guitarist.

Watching: Daily fix of Criminal Minds during lunch never gets old. God bless you A&E for that 12-2 block of some of my favorite crime fighters.

Thankful for: My momma, who on a very stressful Monday morning gave me the advice I needed, and has taught me so much by example, I might actually make a decent grown up one day.

Meet me! (an ALWB Foodie Friday contributor)

1. Name & Birthday: My name is Jessica Johnson Anderson (though that last part is a totally new thing!) and I am a February baby! February 4^th to be exact.

2. How long have you been blogging? I've been at it on and off since 2009.

3. What is your favorite part of being a blogger and why? As a writer and editor I don't always get to write exactly what I want to—don't get me wrong, I love my job. In fact, I have a writer's dream publishing job. Sorta. But, I also want to share recipes, DIY projects I've roped my stepdad or husband into helping me with and little pieces of my heart. Having my blog has allowed me to do that.

 4. Why did you start blogging? It was actually a requirement in one of my college English classes! And over the years, I've kept it going.

5. Tell us a little about your family. Well, I've got this shiny new husband, Mark, and he's pretty neat, when he's not snoring of course. Together, we have four rescue furkids: Walcott, 7ish, a German Shorthaired Pointer that is the clumsiest dog I've ever seen; Grace Kelly, 9ish, a Chihuahua mix with one helluva personality; Alberta, 4ish, a Pitbull mix that I found after the tornado in Tuscaloosa on 4-27-11 and her littermate, Sipsey. We also have a grey rabbit, Smokey Rabbie the Rabbit, she sort of has an identity crisis going on with her name. Mark has two children from his previous marriage, Virginia, 11, and Charles, 8, and while they aren't exactly my kids, they are pretty awesome and we all have a lot fun.

6. Where are you from? I'm a Georgia peach, through and through—born and raised in Atlanta, Ga. where both sets of my parents still live. However, when I moved to Tuscaloosa for my freshman year of college (and then stayed for a few more years…) I knew Alabama would become my home as well. I currently reside in the Heart of Dixie, our state's capital.

7. What is your greatest achievement? Ohh, this is a toughie. I think it might have to be my move to Montgomery. That was an adventure from start to finish. Not many people can say they moved to a city where they literally knew not a single person and in three years have some good friends and a husband!  

8. If you could live anywhere where would it be and why? Paris. Hands down. Because why the hell not.

 9. Favorite Movie? The American President, no contest. I can recite pretty much every single line of dialogue.

10. Favorite Music/Song? I like country; I like pop; I like rap; I like rock. I love the Grateful Dead, thanks to my Dad's influence. I’ll pretty much listen to anything and enjoy it, with the exception of Gospel or the Praise/Contemporary Christian type music—just not my cup of tea.

11. What are your hobbies? I love to read, do Pure Barre, craft, hang out with my family, shop, walk my dogs and travel. I really love to travel.

12. What inspires you? The women I call my friends and family. No two of them are exactly alike, and without them, I'd be half the person I am today.

13. Favorite Color? Pink. Or turquoise. Or crimson and white. Or black. Anything but orange, really.

14. What is your dream job? The one I've got? Honestly, I don’t know. I would love to finish my PhD, work for a publication and teach every now and then.

15. What are you looking forward to most in 2014? Christmas! It will be Mark and I's first actual Christmas day together and I just have a feeling it will be magical. Other than that, we've already gone on our "big" vacation for the year, so I'm looking forward to planning the 2015 edition in a few months!

Summer Reading: May 2014

Thanks to our little vaca in Curacao and then a story gathering trip to south Georgia, which included a weekend in St. Simons!, I was able to read a lot this month. Not a bad start to what promises to be a fun summer.

Last year I had the lofty goal of reading a certain amount of books, and then was disappointed when I didn’t reach it. This year my goal is going to be much simpler. I am going to attempt to read three books a month, and write my reviews. So many times I read books quickly and then will give them away, without jotting down some thoughts. Here goes…

Hero at Large by Janet Evanovich

Cover via Amazon

I literally read this entire book during the five hour plane ride to Curacao. I both love and hate these type of books. They are easy to read and fun for planes, but you really need to read them in one sitting. The story was cute, I like Evanovich’s other “romances” that aren’t Stephanie Plum books. It wasn’t Earth shattering, but it wasn’t terrible either.

The Matchmaker of Perigord by Julia Stuart

Cover via Amazon

I literally have no idea how this book came into my possession, but I saw it on the shelf and grabbed it for Curacao. I’m trying to refrain from buying any new books until I’ve read what I’ve got on my shelf. This was a good beach read. It was a little slow in parts, and you really have to under French culture to appreciate it I think, but it was definitely cute. The character and scenery descriptions were Stuart’s strongest point. Gave me a case of French wanderlust, bad!

Reconstructing Brigid by Lee Nichols

Cover via Amazon

This was a spur of the moment purchase at a flea market in south Georgia. I have to admit the purple cover got me to shell out the $2. This was probably my “favorite” book in May. The story had some inconsistencies, but overall it was a perfect beach read. It was binge worthy but I was also able to find good stopping points when it was time for bed, if that makes sense. I really loved the mystery aspect of the book as well as the love story. It felt a little like an episode of ABC’s Castle in that regard. The way the book ended made me think Nichols might want to turn the story into a series, and that would be totally fine by me—I'd buy them.

I’ve already started Summer Blowout by Claire Cook for June and it’s proving to be quite a funny little book. Otherwise I have no idea what I’ll end up with for this month. Probably another ragtag collection of “off the shelf” stuff, which is either going to go really well or really…not so well. I'd love to hear some suggestions on what to read next!

We Eloped!

On May 9, 2014 after about two weeks of talking and about one solid week of planning, Mark and I entered All Saints Church in Curacao and exchanged vows. We became husband and wife with only four people in attendance. It was perfect and it was miserable.

As a little girl I had always dreamed about my wedding. Hell, I had probably planned it 40 times over in my head. Thanks to Pinterest you’d think I was a wedding planner. But all of that went out the window when Mark proposed to me.

Mark and I are in a unique situation and our love story is quite different than most. And that’s okay—it’s ours. It’s no less filled with love than others.

When Mark proposed to me I knew a big wedding was out of the question, and I was fine about it. A “destination wedding” seemed like the perfect solution. Small, just very close family and friends that might as well be family. But instead in the days after I said “umm, okay” to the all important, down on one knee “Will you marry me?” I realized I didn’t want to wait any longer. It was time. I wanted to be Mark’s actual wife. Not just his common-law PermanentRoommate.

When the chance to go on our “summer vacation” to Curacao presented itself, I nearly immediately told my Momma and Daddy that this would be it. And while I love them more than I will ever fully express, they were not invited.

That stung. A lot. It especially hurt my Dad. But they both knew this was what was right for me, and because they are so supportive of all the crazy antics their favorite child partakes in, said okay.

In the days leading up to the wedding, as Momma and I shopped for my dress and I emailed back and forth with my wedding planner, I never really noticed that no one was involved besides me. In fact, while a lot of friends guessed it might be happening, we never actually told anyone that we were getting married in Curacao.

I sent my very best friend in the entire world Mallory a very cryptic message on the day of my wedding that left me in a puddle of tears. {Poor Mark! Me crying, sad tears, a couple hours before saying “I do.”} I sent messages to both my parents as well, thanking them for everything. But that was it. That was the only interaction I really had with my family before getting married.

I was emotional. I cried the night before the wedding, again poor Mark!, and as my new friend/hair/makeup man worked on my wedding look. Thankfully he was used to upset brides and we had a mini dance party that made it better. I missed my family. My heart hurt that they weren’t there. But then, once I got my dress on and looked in the mirror, all of that faded away.

After years of wondering what it would be like, days of planning, and hours of stressing, I was a bride. A bride!

Everything fell into place when I put the dress on. I entered the chapel and big, strong, handsome Mark was standing there looking all nervous and hot. {Bless our hearts I really should have rethought the whole church without an air conditioning 40 miles north of the equator thing, but whatevs.}

The ceremony is sort of a blur. It was really hot in there but I signed on the dotted line at the end! So did Mark! We were officially “The Andersons."

When I really think about it, it is all a blur. We spent about an hour and a half taking pictures around the island with our photographer, laughing, walking around and goofing off. It was some of the most fun I think I’ve ever had. As the sun starting setting it came time for the “reception.”

Our table was set up on the beach and we enjoyed a private waiter with a five-course meal. I couldn’t tell you what we ate or what we talked about while we ate. But it was delicious and we laughed. That’s all that I care to remember and all that I wanted for our “reception.”

We cut the cake and in true Mark fashion he made some sort of smart-ass comment that resulted in me smashing half the cake in his face. #grownups

That’s how we started our married lives together: smashed cake, just the two of us. And while I would have loved to watch all my friends get a little too drunk and hoist sparklers in the air as we ran out, the walk up to our room overlooking the southern Caribbean Sea was just as romantic, just as perfect. Our wedding might not have been Pinterest perfect but that’s okay. Because in reality, I hate peonies and gold chairs…our wedding was Jessica perfect. It was bright, fun and all about Mark and me. The way a wedding should be.  

13 Things I Want To Pass On

When Elite Daily’s twitter tweeted out this article yesterday I immediately jumped at it. As the “Aunt Dooter” to a nephew and two nieces, I thought it would be a nice mental break from a really tough workday. But I was so grossly disappointed. 

Yes, there were funny parts, where I pictured sharing my own stories with the little lives I hold dear, and there were serious parts, where I thought about how amazing it is to actually think one day one of these little lives might need me, actually need me, overall I was left wanting more. I don’t know why, as this letter was clearly intended to be vague-but-sort-of-direct in that way the internet loves so much.

The author gives a few main things that are important, what she wants her new little nephew to know.

1. "Yes, girls are pretty, but they are people."
Wynners: the prettiest girl in the world is your Momma, when dealing with very other pretty girl in the world think about how you deal with your Momma and then, only then, should you speak or act.
SGDub and AC: the prettiest girls are the happiest and nicest. Don’t be buttholes to others based on your (or their) looks.

2. "Visit your grandparents, even when you don’t want to."
Learn from Aunt Dooter and call Honey Mom more often than I do.

3. "Hug your mommy—even when hugging her is no longer cool."
If you don’t want to hug, don’t feel the pressure. Watch TV together, sit outside together, just do something together. Make sure you recognize just how completely and totally awesome your Mommas are.

4. "Make mistakes, and make up for them."
Try to be better than I was; than I am. Wynners, watch out for AC and SGDub, we’re a family for a reason.

5. "Have faith in something."
Have faith in God. Go to Church. Be grateful you were raised in religious homes, but don’t let Church or God make you feel less than.
Wynners and AC: have faith that one day South Carolina will again win the SEC Championship in football.
SGDub: have faith in the fact that you will forever have been an Alabama fan from the beginning of the best time to be an Alabama fan.

6. "Get lost once in awhile, but don’t forget how to get home."
Actually, don’t do this. Don’t feel like you have to “wander.” Be who you are, no matter what it is. If you like being home, be home. If you like traveling and going away, go. Don’t let other people tell you how to be. (Except of course your Momma. Always let your Momma tell you how to be.)

7. "Brag when you beat your daddy at one-on-one, but don’t think that it will happen again."
Sure, play outside from sun up to sundown and let the old man win every now and then. But SGDub and AC, when you’re tired and you want to go inside and play dolls, don’t worry, your Daddys will too.

8. "It’s okay to feel hate, but don’t lean on it forever."
Hate no one, ever, except Auburn and Clemson. Realize that hate is just a crutch. Be above it.

9. "Ask for help. You’ll need it."
Be independent but know when to draw the line.

10. "Invest in a belt."
Luckily, y’all won’t be allowed out of the house in terrible fashion choices.

11. "Mind your manners…and your words."
You were raised right, act like it.

12. "Your mom and dad were pretty cool—and they still are."
….the stories I’ve got for when you’re older. Oh good gracious. I promise to share!

13. "You probably won’t get what you deserve, so fight harder for it."
You each deserve the world. Your parents are going to make damn sure you’ve got the best chance of getting it. Remember that always. Be thankful for that always.